It feels like such a long time ago that I was stumbling around Dapps and DAO tooling, exploring topics I barely understood, and fighting my way through the feeling of imposter syndrome that inevitably comes from being “new to crypto”. I remember picking up bartending shifts and dreaming of working from my laptop full-time.

I ended up making a decision. A commitment to pursue a higher path. A commitment to work that made me feel good about my daily output and the circles of people that surrounded me. I committed to let go of the past. I let go of what I thought I knew or what I was good at and explore the opportunities that awaited me in Ethereum.

I have not looked back since.

I met amazing people from projects like Giveth and DappNode, who gave me a chance to write some crap articles and even paid me for my contributions. This led to meeting the amazing minds behind MetaGame and later becoming a founding member of RaidGuild and Paladin of the MetaCartel.

Reflecting on 2021

This year was a challenging one for many people, myself included. We found ourselves trapped inside our homes, our computers, and in some cases our minds. Forced to face the thoughts that make us feel uncomfortable, that make us question our lives, our actions, and our raison d être. It has been a much needed period of reflection for all of humanity, something I think we can all agree is necessary for us to begin solving the massive challenges that lie ahead.

On the other hand, I saw many find their passion, launch new projects, or join teams that align with their vision of creating a better future. Which proves to me that even during the hardest times we can find inspiration, create new realities, and move the world forward.

I saw this happening all around me from Twitter, Telegram, Discord and Email. I tried to answer as many DM’s as possible from these seekers looking to “crack into the space”. I try to get people pointed in the right direction, to help them find their tribe or join mine. Either way, helping others has been a huge part of my journey. I’ve found it to be a super power for me in my role as a connector in the Ethereum Ecosystem.

I have been incredibly lucky this year specifically, to meet so many new friends and collaborators. To find myself in the operating role of the MetaCartel, to be trusted with organizing MCON, to find my squad of Mystic Whales, to be considered a Jedi to the rising stars at PadawanDAO 🔥 and a whole host of other projects from NFT communities to Home Developer platforms all using Ethereum as their backbone.

This has brought me to a point of inflection, where I am now asking myself: 

What Impact Do I Want To Have In 2022 ? 

It’s something I’ve been pondering more and more as I feel pulled in a 1000 different directions across the ecosystem.

Should I double down on DAO’s? Should I learn more about DeFi? Invest in NFT’s? 🤪 There is so much to learn, all while actually trying to have a life “outside crypto”. If there is such a thing…

A Few Things I Know For Certain

• I am committed to spending more time on challenges that impact human kind as a whole, not just my own ecosystem or my own projects.
• I am committed to helping communities coordinate, accomplish collective goals, and achieve sustainability.
• I am committed to raising the collective consciousness of the contributors in my ecosystem, hosting holistic gathering, governance summits, and tackling difficult conversations together.
• I am not going to overwork myself simply because I can’t think of anything better to do with my time.
• I am not interested in status or celebrity. In the best case my work will outlive my name.
• I am not focused on revenue goals, or maximizing my gains. I will continue to show up and create value in communities that see the value I have to offer. 

Follow Your Passion, and Success Will Follow You

To achieve the impact I want in 2022, I will need to get better at saying “No”. There is just not enough time in the day to work on everything, while maintaining a healthy work life balance. If you are on the receiving end of one of those no’s please don’t take it personally.

Selfcare and Welfare

We don’t talk enough about how the contributors to our communities don’t take the time they need for themselves, we have created a culture of manic work. I see the red eyes on Zoom, the 3am Discord messages all telling me that my team and my community are not really taking care of themselves and that they are grinding themselves to a pulp.

Time off, away from screens, even a couple days here and there is absolutely necessary to maintain the headspace needed to solve complex problems, to keep our sanity and to stay balanced in this ecosystem of light speed paced development.

This is why I am committed to support initiatives like MetaCamp for the contributors of the MetaCartel DAO. I want to encourage everyone to take time for themselves, hit your local BathHouse, take a bike ride, go camping, play Dark Souls, or turn up the trance beats and dance your pants off whatever you do that allows your brain to rest and reset, **go do it !
**

A Fresh Start

When you have a child, the world takes on a whole new meaning. You see yourself as a protector and a resource gatherer for something outside yourself. It can be an extremely motivating shift or it can feel like overwhelming pressure. I’ve felt both ends of this over the last 5 months as my daughter grows older and begins to comprehend the meaning of the world around her. I keep asking myself what kind of example I am going to set for her, how will I best be able to support, provide for her needs, and help shape her worldview. Without passing the fallacies of the previous generation onto her, like many of our parents and institutions did to us.

New years allow for new beginnings. Psychologically it feels easier to start a fresh year with a fresh perspective. Not letting the past dictate the future.

This year I will spend more time diving into interpersonal issues, I will face my fears and look at the dark parts of myself, reflecting on where I can improve, where I’ve been wrong in the past and how to prevent the same mistakes from happening again.

2022 is the year of the future, it is a year of evolution, of openings, and opportunities. If you are willing to believe that it can change your outlook for the better, we have a lot more power to shape our reality than we give ourselves credit for.

Pursue your interests, follow your passion, find a way to add value wherever you can and you will not be left behind by this community in 2022 I guarantee it.

Many thanks to the people and projects who took a chance on me in 2017 when I knew nothing, and had very little to offer 🙏🏽 Griff Green 💚 Michelle Plur 💙 Eduardo Antuña 💜 PethETH 🖤 Pet3rPan 💛 VenGist ❤️ Meta_Dreamer 🧡 Kevin Owocki 🤎 Dekan Brown and all the unsung hero’s of the DAO Ecosystem ✨